A Healers Touch
by leentjeAL
Summary: Kayley who has been kidnapped by the Toroaki , who killed her brother , is saved by a gang who say they can help her. Now they are the only ones who she can trust. she discovers that she has powers that will bring her in great danger. And things will get worse when Felix ,her friend and maybe something more, becomes her Protector.
1. Chapter One - One Big Mess

A Healers Touch

Chapter One - One Big Mess

I opened the door of room 3 and turned on the lights. As i came in , I did not like what I saw. The room was one big mess and smelled like a dump. This was my least favorite part of the job, even though we didn't have many travelers staying here. Man, did these people grow up with pigs? As I went to tidy up the bed , I heard a familiar voice coming from downstairs.

'Kayley, I need you in the Kitchen!' Dimitri yelled.

Good , saved by the brother. I immediately dropped the blankets and ran downstairs. I entered the kitchen and noticed my brother had dropped a few plates which were now broken. Dimitri knew I entered because he turned around and dragged the rest of the dishes to the washbasin. I took a broom to clean up the mess. I almost finished when i saw me brother had sat down , he stroke away the hair that was blocking his vision. Dimitri was 22 years old , and had graduated 4 years ago. As an adult , he wanted to start his own business, an Inn. With permission from our mom I could live with my brother and help him with the inn. But our Inn didn't attract a lot of travelers. It was a small building and it only had 4 rooms. When I putt away the broom , I went to sit next to him.

Even though he was 5 years older than me , everyone could see Dimitri and I were related. We had the same color of hair , the body shape, even our body language was similar. The only thing different was our color of eyes. His eyes were pure green while my eyes were brown or something like that. I hated the color.

' Are you alright? '

He turned his head to me. His eyes were filled with worry.

'It's nothing.' He replied. He drew a deep breath and sighed. 'You should pack your bags , mother's expecting you.'

I jerked away. For 3 days he had been nagging my ears off the visit our mom. Okay , I hadn't seen her in a long time but my brother wasn't coming with me. Which was odd because he was the one to come over for our mom's stew. I wanted to protest.

'Why aren't you coming with me?' I asked.

Dimitri looked down , facing the ground. He sighed. ' It's complicated , you wouldn't understand.'

I started to get angry with him. I was 17! What couldn't I understand? He stood up and went to do the dishes. His way of avoiding my questions. I went to clean up room 3 first. After I finished , I packed me saddlebags. I hid special mints for my horse in the saddlebag and took a few of my own stuff. As I went to the stables , I saw Twilight jumping with excitement . she probably longed to get on the road. Next to Twilight's stable , I saw Dimitri's horse, Moon , who had just woke up because of Twilight. Moon was a stubborn horse. The only one who could ride him was Dimitri. But I was happy with Twilight. I only had her for a year but we developed a steady relationship pretty fast. I started combing Twilight. I looked to Moon and noticed my brother had packed his own saddlebag and had hung it on the stable door. Was he making a trip without me? I wanted to look what he was going to take with him but going through his stuff would cause trouble. After Twilight was ready , I searched for Dimitri. Where was he ? he wasn't in the kitchen nor in his room. When I went downstairs , I heard multiple voices outside. I called my brother. 'Dimitri?'

I slowly opened the door that lead to the front yard. Outside stood Dimitri with 3 other men. All three of them wore black and brown uniforms. One of them , probably the leader, held a gun. Dimitri stood in a defense position but the leader didn't back down.

' I am going the say this only once.' The leader warned.' Cooperate or we will burn down your inn, including you!'

Dimitri responded, but not like I expected.' And I told you to beat it when my friends almost killed you!'

Wait , who? I had to interfere or people would get hurt. I opened the and hid the small knife I took from the kitchen under my shirt, just in case.

' Is everything alright?' I asked , putting on an innocent smile so none of them knew I heard their conversation. My brother on the other hand immediately recognized it. I looked at him with a worried gaze.

He replied with a warning. 'Kayley, get inside. This doesn't concern you.'

The anger in his voice warned me he was serious. But so was I, if he got into trouble , than I would be there to help him. The leader noticed our tension , his attention turned to me. His pale face and long blond hair didn't match his uniform. His brown eyes filled with lust inspected my body. I took a step back, but got closer to Dimitri.

'And who is this?' The leader asked, his eyes still focused on me. Dimitri took a step forward.

'That is none of your business.' He said. He turned to me and started whispering. 'Kayley, get Twilight and get out of here!'

Did he really think I was going to leave him alone?! One of the other "guards" whispered something in the leader's ears. He looked back at Dimitri, who now had clenched his fists, he stood ready to fight. The leader waved his friends to come closer. When I looked closer , I saw that the two were brothers, they had almost the same shape of body and face but you could separate them by color of hair. One had black hair , the other one red. The leader pointed with his gun to Dimitri.

' Chase , Fallen, tie this rat up and take him to the carriage' he ordered his companions, 'I'll handle his little sister.' He turned to me and showed a greedy smile, exposing his yellow teeth. The 2 men grabbed my brother's wrists and tied him up. Dimitri fought against them but gave up eventually. Their leader stepped closer to me , preparing his gun to shoot. I had to think fast. I ran straight to the leader and stabbed the knife from under my shirt into his foot. Surprised by my attack , he jumped back, giving me the chance to get to my brother. But it was to late, Dimitri was already tied up in the carriage. Chase had gone back to help their leader while Fallen had grabbed a net. Too late to save Dimitri , I turned back to get Twilight but Fallen had thrown his net. He didn't miss. I fell on the ground but still I tried to free myself. But it was useless. The knife was still stuck in the leader's foot and I didn't have anything else. Fallen picked me up with his hands around my waist.

I fought with my last energy but gave up as soon as I was thrown in the carriage.


	2. Chapter Two - Last Chance

Dimitri laid down against the other side of the carriage. He was unconscious but not dead. Still captured in the net , I looked around. No windows , the exit we locked. The 3 men probably sat in front of the carriage , leading the horses to what was probably their lair. It was dark and I was too weak to escape. And if I escaped, what would I do? They would probably find me again.

'How did we get into this mess?'I asked myself. I laid down , trying to forget what just happened. It didn't took long or I was asleep.

I woke up by the sound of the carriage. It was slowing down! I sat up and saw Dimitri had already woken up. He looked at me but is head was directed to the ground.

'Why didn't you run when I warned you!' he said quietly. He tried to sound angry but failed to look at me with a serious expression. His eyes told everything. He was afraid for what was going to happen.

I straightened up and tried to make my respond sound like I as an adult. 'You know very well as me that I couldn't leave you alone.' I know, I still sounded like a 14 year old.

Dimitri tried to argue. 'But Kayley , I _'

'No , don't even go there,' I interrupted him,' this isn't your fault and you would do the same for me if we had switched places.' I looked right at him, his eyes met mine. Anger was replaced by sadness. I looked back at what had happened at the Inn. Dimitri's words ran through my mind. **_I told you to beat it when my friend almost killed you!_**

Which friends? From what I knew, Dimitri had left all his friends behind to work in the Inn. But he did pass the local pharmacy a lot , even though he wasn't ill or hurt. Maybe he became friends with the doctor there or a patient.

I decided to ask him. 'Hey, Dimitri.'

Dimitri looked back up. 'What?'

'Who are _?' But when I wanted to finish my sentence, when the door of the carriage swung open interrupting our conversation. At the door stood Chase and Fallen, both smiled like they had won the first price.

Dimitri and I stood up , but Dimitri turned his head to me. 'Just cooperate, they'll let you go.'

Oh no , not again. 'But what about you?'

'Doesn't matter, whenever you get the chance, just go. I'll be fine.'

Wait , doesn't matter? He was the only that mattered to me, I needed him. I didn't believe a word but Dimitri sounded determined and I knew he would give up his life for his little sister. But I didn't want that , I wanted to go home. With my brother. My stomach filled with fear.

I didn't get much to see of the outside world , Chase and Fallen had brought us to a small building. We got inside , Chase took of the net and tied my hands behind my back just like they did with Dimitri. They pushed us down into the basement, they replaced the rope that was holding my hands together with manacles. They hurt when I moved my hands so I decided to keep still. My manacles were connected to the wall with a short chain. Too short to let me get closer to Dimitri. Dimitri kept silent but his expression told me something was going to happen. After two hours the door of our cell swung open. At the opening stood the leader although it was hard to see where he was standing. He walked directly to Dimitri. Dimitri slowly looked up. He looked furious but kept quiet. He probably didn't want to make the guy even more angry. I noticed the leader was limping when he stepped into the cell. He still hadn't recovered from my attack.

'Your little sister is quite a pain in the ass, Dimitri.' The leader uncovered a large dagger and pointed it at my Brother's chest. 'Last chance , mate. Either you join us and no harm will be done. Or ... ' He paused. 'the world losses another of his best healers.' He threatened.

I jumped. 'A what?'

Dimitri and I shared a look. 'Look , Kayley, now isn't the best time to _, Aah.' He yelped.

The leader had pushed the point of is dagger into Dimitri's chest. Dimitri dropped to his knees. Red stains filled his grey shirt. I could just kill that bastard right now, but I was chained to the wall. My eyes filled with tears, as I saw the pain my brother was going through. Dimitri dropped though his knees, but kept fighting though the torture.

The leader glanced at me but kept talking to him. ' You haven't told her yet , have you?'

I just had to know. ' Tell me what?' My voice was shaking, I had trouble not to scream.

Dimitri could still talk and hid the pain behind his expression. ' She doesn't need to know, Callen. This is between you and me.' He turned his head to me, ' just stay out of this, Kayley.'

Callen stepped closer towards Dimitri , he still holding the dagger in his hand. Dimitri's attention turned back to Callen. He wasn't going to give in.

' I will never join you!' he replied.

Callen raised an eyebrow. ' Uh-huh.' He looked like he was deciding what to do. 'Chase!'

Chase came in with a hurry. 'Yeah, boss? '

' Get Junior, he'll watch our little girl here.' Chase returned to the exit.

With a little bit of his strength left , Dimitri stood up. 'I told you to keep her out of this, she has not potential for you.'

' Well, that's the problem, mate. Callen took a step forward. ' She's already in.'

With that Callen stabbed his dagger in Dimitri's stomach. My throat turned into fire, I tried to break free but it was hopeless. The only thing I could yell was his name. Callen had no mercy, he twisted the dagger making Dimitri scream even more. Callen pulled the dagger out. Dimitri dropped to his knees, the floor filled with red liquid. He was dead.

I fell down and tried to reach him but it was no use. He was too far away from me. Fallen entered and dragged Dimitri's body out of the cell. I felt like my whole world was falling apart , I couldn't breathe. I had no energy to stand.

Callen looked at me like I overreacted. 'You now have the choice. Just remember , your brother took the wrong one.' He turned his back one me and walked out of the cell.

My heart filled with fury. That son of a BITCH! I wanted to reply but he already left. I felt alone between the stone walls, who looked like they kept coming closer to me. I put my legs against my chest and rested my forehead on my knees. I still couldn't believe he was gone. Tears streamed down my face, making my vision blurry. It was long after that , that I fell asleep on the cold floor.

I woke up by the sound of footsteps. I opened my eyes and saw another guard. Looking at his face , he was not much older than me. He was about the age of 17 or 18 ( a little young for a job like this). He entered the cell. He wore the same uniform as the others. His brown hair was combed to the front while at the back he had a thin braid holding the rest of his hair together. I now just realized who I was looking at , Junior.


	3. Chapter Three - Nothing Is What It Seems

Chapter Three - Nothing Is What It Seems

He took a step towards me , but I crawled back against the wall. No escape. He kneeled in front of me, holding a wooden cup filled with water. I looked at him with suspicion.

He replied with a look of annoyance. 'Drink it, you'll get more energy.'

I slowly took the cup while I prevented myself from shivering. It was hard for me to swallow and my hands were shaking. While I drank Junior stared at me. His eyes were bright blue and reminded me of the sea near the Inn. His eyes met mine. He wasn't like the other guards, he looked at me with sympathy and maybe he was trying to help. Junior noticed I caught him staring and started searching for something in his pockets. When I finished drinking, he held out 2 small metal pins.

'Hold out your hands.' It wasn't an order but a request. But I still didn't trust him. I pulled my hands back. Junior gave me a "seriously?" look. What choice did I have, going with the killer or cooperate with blue eyes who at least showed a little sympathy. My choice was easily made.

I held out my arms. Junior started putting the pins in the manacles around my arms. Wait! Was he helping me to escape?! A click sounded, one manacle came loose. Junior immediately started with the second chain. His pins twisted and turned until he found the click. Concentration filled his eyes as he unchained me. My chains were loose and my arms had red and purple marks from where the chains used to be. Junior stood up and held out his hand to help me up. With the little energy given from the water, I stood up. He took my hand to support me with his weight. His hands felt warm and vibrated through my skin. Was that even possible?

He took me with him and went to the main hall of the cells. His grip tightened.

He started whispering. 'Look, I know you don't trust me but I'm helping you to get out of here.' Until now he looked trustworthy but for how long? He took a step closer to me, his gaze met mine. 'If you want to get out of here, we've got to be fast.

I nodded in response, letting him know I was willing to go with him. Without saying anything further we got upstairs. We both kept quiet as we sneaked through the building. Junior kept leading me into the shadows so no one could see us. But when we turned around the corner , Junior immediately jumped back. The voices of Chase and Fallen reached our hall. Junior pushed me against the wall with his body, his one hand still holding mine. He was a few inches larger than me , but still looked down to see if I was alright. The fire of the torch was moving closer and headed to our direction. Junior's eyes found mine.

He moved his lips without making a lot of sound. 'Don't ... make ... a sound.' He whispered.

Chase and Fallen turned in our hall. Junior pushed his body even closer to mine, making us disappear into the dark shadows. But Chase and Fallen were in a huge discussion and gave their full attention to each other. One wrong move and Chase and Fallen would see me trying to escape with one of them.

Junior's friends were waiting outside until he had escaped with Dimitri's sister. They already could steal his corps but if his sister was alive, they should help her. All of them were filled with sadness about Dimitri's death but there was no time to be emotional, they had to concentrate on the mission. Joshua leaned with his right arm on their carraige. Fort stood next to him.

' I think he's going to need help.' Fort said.

Joshua looked at Fort giving him the same look Junior gave Kayley. ' I give him 15 minutes.'

Fort put his hands on his hips. ' I'll take that bet, how much?'

'One silver.' Joshua replied.

'How about two silvers and a jerky?'

Joshua scratched his chin were a big scar filled the space. He held out his hand to make it officially. 'Deal.'

Chase and Fallen had made their way pass the small hall. When Junior was sure no one else was near , he released me from his grip, but still, he held my hand. Weird. After a few minutes of sneaking around , Junior found a small exit. We escaped out of the building. He led me to a small alley where I saw four other guys, probably waiting for Junior, standing around a carriage.

A man whose face had grown a brown beard and a moustache turned to a guy without a shirt whose muscles popped out. ' I'll take that jerky now. The guy with the beard said.

I was suspicious but then I noticed no one of them except Junior wore an uniform. The two other guys looked like two brothers by the way they acted. The one was a little taller than the other. He had black hair which was tied up in a long ponytail. The other had long golden hair that reached his shoulders and had a moustache and a beard that were connected. I looked back to the man who now held a jerky in his hand. I noticed he had a big scar on his chin and by the way he acted he had to be the one in charge. The one with the ponytail stepped forward to Junior.

'What took you so long?' he asked.

Junior's eyes showed annoyance. ' I, uhm , had trouble getting passed the guards.' Junior glanced back at me. Blondie went to stand next to his brother, he crossed his arms , showing he didn't believe Junior. Junior started stuttering, he didn't had anything to defend himself.

I interfered. 'It took so long because I didn't believe he tried to help me.'

Junior's grip relaxed, probably his way of saying thank you. The one in charge got clothes out of the carriage and threw them at Junior. He fetched them easily.

'Get changed , Felix. You know I hate those uniforms.' He ordered.

Wait a second! I looked at Junior with confusion. 'Felix?'


	4. Chapter Four - Revealing The Truth

Chapter Four - Revealing The Truth

Felix sighed. 'Junior was my undercover name to get you out of there. The real Junior is stuck in a tree somewhere.' He waved it away like he didn't care an showed a wry smile. 'My real name is Felix.'

I got nervous. What more surprises did these guys have? Junior .. uh I mean .. Felix went to the back of the carriage. He finally released my hand. My hand was warm, did he really hold it the whole time? I suddenly realized my legs were shaking and I could barely stand. Felix had supported me the whole time.

'I have to sit down.' I said.

The one in charge rushed to me and supported me with his arm. When I sat down on the front of the carriage. The one in charge sat next to me. The others and Felix sat in the back.

'Do you know a place where you can rest?' the guy next to me asked.

He already signaled the horses when I gave him directions to the Inn. It maybe wasn't safe but I wanted to see if Twilight was okay.

During the trip the guys in the back were chatting, while the man next to me didn't say a word. He didn't look very old, maybe 27 or 28? But his scar told many stories. He turned his head to me and suddenly realized something.

' We haven't introduced ourselves , have we? I'm Joshua but everybody calls me Sheppard. And you? You're Dimitri's sister Kayley , right?'

I nodded.

' Your brother was a good man and a fantastic friend. '

I looked down , I still couldn't believe he was gone. A tear ran over my cheeks. Sheppard noticed it.

'We found a way to retrieve his body.' He said. He must have seen I was surprised because he continued. 'We've send him to Dave. He'll prepare a peaceful funeral for Dimitri.'

I sighed with relieve, at least Dimitri was in good hands. My thoughts got interrupted by the others.

' Uh-uhm! ' one of them got our attention. 'Aren't you forgetting something, Sheppard?' The Shirtless man asked.

Sheppard looked back at me. 'Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Kayley , that big lump of muscles over there is Fort. The annoying asparagus is Brody and his irritating brother is Dylan. And you've already met our charming Felix.' Sheppard said with sarcasm.

Everyone waved Hi or laughed with his comment when introduced, except Felix. He just looked up and returned to the book he was reading. Was he avoiding eye contact with me?

When we got to the Inn, I immediately ran to Twilight's stable. Both horses were still there. Twilight pushed against the stable door with irritation. I turned around hearing footsteps. It was Brody. He made his way to Moon who had stepped closer to his stable door.

'Ah, Moon, long time no seen.' He said.

He scratched Moon behind his ears, Moon enjoyed it. Okay, no I was confused. That horse didn't even let me near him and a stranger could easily scratch his ears?

'How...? Did you do...? uh, How?! ' I couldn't find the right words.

He fed Moon a few mints. ' I've gone through a lot with Moon. I shared him together with your brother. He was good with horses.' He sighed. Moon sensed his sadness and pushed his nose against Brody's hands. Brody laughed. ' Your brother always told me horses sometimes think like people and that they even have nicknames for us.' He smiled at the memory. 'But only a level 11 healer can read a horse his mind.'

Again that word! 'A what?'

'You know, a healer?' He looked at me like I should know this in the first place. He noticed my confusion. 'You don't know, do you?'

I shook my head. He went with his fingers thought his hair, telling me one thing. Oh No.

We entered the Inn. It reminded me too much of Dimitri and caused pain in my stomach. I made sure everyone had something to drink and took something for myself. I glanced at Felix who was reading his book again. Probably lost in thoughts. Sheppard offered a seat next to him.

When I sat down he looked at me with concern. 'He didn't tell you , did he ?'

I got angry , what was everyone talking about? 'No , what is so important that I have to know?'

Everybody looked shocked like I was mad in my head, everybody except Felix. He didn't move an inch.

Sheppard noticed and looked at Felix who was still reading.

'Felix, we all know you're the best with history' he began.

Felix looked up but still held his book.

Sheppard ignored his silent response and turned his attention back to me. 'My nephew will explain everything. '

Wait , what? His nephew?

Felix sighed , threw his book on the table and crossed his arms. He raised one eyebrow, towards me. Why did his mood change suddenly? Did I do something wrong?

Sheppard saw how Felix behaved. 'Felix, that wasn't a request but an order!' his voice sounded severe.

Felix stood up and walked to the exit. When he stopped at the door and glanced back at me. 'Are you coming or not?'

This time I gave him the "seriously" look. Everyone at the table sensed the tension. Felix walked out. I had to follow him if I wanted to know about this whole situation. Felix stood on one of the cliffs near the sea. One of the perks living here. When I walked closer I saw Felix his eyes were closed, he was enjoying the breezes of the sea , he reminded me of myself. I stood on that same spot when I wanted to be alone, breathing in the fresh air and listening to the waves crashing against the rocks. I stood next to him but he kept his eyes closed.

I don't know how but he knew I was standing next to him. 'Your brother really knew how to pick a place, this view is amazing. '

I raised an eyebrow. Probably knowing what I was thinking he opened his eyes and looked at me. When our eyes met , my heart started pumping faster. And why actually? This guy changed his mood faster than the weather.

'Will you please explain me where everyone is talking about. What in the world is a healer?' I asked.

He looked back to the Inn. 'Do you know a place where we can talk in private?' He asked.

I followed his gaze until I saw why. Everybody stood at the window to see what was going on.

'There's a bench nearby where we can talk. ' I responded.

He looked relieved and turned his attention to me. ' Lead the war and I'll follow.'

I nodded , I led him to the bench but when we passed the Inn the rest looked disappointed, like they expected something special was going to happen. When we reached the bench, Felix looked around like he was afraid someone was following us. When he was sure there was no one else , he sat down.

His expression turned serious. He immediately got to the subject. 'Long story or short story?'

'Long story.' I replied. 'We've got plenty of time.'

Felix straightened himself and turned his whole body to me. 'Okay, you are living in a world far more dangerous than you think.' I raised an eyebrow but he continued. 'The people who kidnapped you and killed Dimitri are the Toroaki. Their mission is to kill or strip a healer from his powers , making everybody who doesn't join them equal. Once a healer is stripped from his powers they become a member of the Toroaki but if the healer refuses he gets killed.'

I shivered at the memory of Callen. Felix must have sensed it because he took my hand, making me look at him again. 'What happened out there wasn't your fault. Your brother tried to protect you. He did the right thing. He stood up for himself.'

I wanted to believe him. I really did but I still doubted. 'Continue.' I said. Right know I didn't want to thing back. He released my hand.

'A healer is someone who helps the sick and the wounded. He or she can heal a wound just by the touch of his or her hands. Your brother was a very good healer. Every healer has a protector. To protect their healer against those who want to use the powers for evil. A protector always has a different power, it depends on how powerful their healer is.'

This was all hard to believe but Felix looked like he spoke the truth.

'Does it run in the family?' I asked.

' No, but it sometimes happens that two people of the same family are both healer or protector. It even happens that a brother is his sister's protector.' He laughed at the idea. 'Anyway, Sheppard was your brother's protector. He can make an energy shield, stopping objects coming right at you.'

'Are you a Protector?'

He laughed. 'No. Oh no , the idea itself even frightens me.'

'When do you actually get your powers? I never saw my brother use them.'

'he visited the pharmacy to help people.' He replied. 'But a healer develops his powers when he or she becomes an adult, a protector on the other hand gets his powers when he connects with his healer. It even happens that a protector never finds his healer. That's why we're here. We bring new healers into safety and try to find their protector before the Toroaki gets to them. '

'Did a healer ever fell in love with his or her protector?' I was curious about the answer , I don't know why?

Felix started to stutter, like he was afraid to answer. 'It happened once, but it didn't end very well.'

Weird answer but okay. I started thinking, if Sheppard was my brother's protector , it meant that everyone else was normal. No powers, no healers. But what did this had to do with me? Felix still looked at me with concern.

'Why did they want me?' I asked.

His gaze met mine. 'I actually don't know.'


	5. Chapter 5 - This Isn't Going To Be Easy

Chapter Five - This Isn't Going To Be Easy

We went back to the Inn but before we entered I stopped him.

He frowned. 'What's the matter?'

I put my hands on my hips. 'Can I ask you something?'

He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. 'Sure…'

'What is the matter with you?' My voice got louder.

Felix jumped back. 'What do you mean?'

'When you saved me from the Toroaki , you acted normal. But when we reached your friends you turned your back on me and started reading in that book.'

Felix wanted to say something to protest but I stopped him before he could say anything.

'Which you probably already read a hundred times. And when we got to the Inn you acted like you hated me and now your back to normal!' I realized I was yelling.

Felix looked down but glanced at me for a second. 'How do you know I read it a hundred times?'

I crossed my arms. 'Don't change the subject.'

'Okay , okay fine. I'll explain. I'm 18 years old , that makes me the youngest of the group which is why they treat me like I'm still a child. Because that's what those guys do. That's why I'm so serious around them. I have to keep my ego of " a don't mess with me" guy. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable , I really am. But you've got the understand this isn't easy for me.'

He looked me in the eyes waiting for an answer. I was glad because I actually understood him. I was 17 and everybody still treated me like a child.

'I know exactly what you mean. But at least now I know why you behave like this.' He smiled at me.

'You won't let anyone know , right? ' He quickly asked.

' I promise.' I smiled back.

Felix suddenly realized something. 'Oh, I almost forgot to ask you something.' He took a step closer and started whispering. 'Sheppard was going to ask you but I want be first. Would you like to join us?'

I couldn't follow. 'Join you?'

'Yeah, you'll learn how to defend yourself in battle and help us search for new healers. '

His expression showed me he really wanted me to join but I had to think. Could I really leave this place? Could I ever return? What would my mom say? And boy , did I stink! I didn't wash myself for 3 or 4 days, how could he even come near me? My attention turned back to the main subject.

I decided. 'Right now, I would love to join.'

Felix exhaled in relieve and smiled even more letting me know he appreciated it a lot. When we entered the guys stopped their cart game and aimed their attention at us. Felix turned back cold, crossed his arms and sat down without a word. I ignored his behavior and closed the door.

Dylan looked at Felix. 'Do you think we can trust her?'

Felix didn't answer but Sheppard did. ' She's Dimitri's sister! If Felix and Dimitri trust her than I do too. And so should you.'

Dylan opened his mouth in protest but was stopped by his brother.

Sheppard look back at me.' And .. ' he paused. ' what do you think?'

I glanced at Felix, he didn't move.

'It's hard to take It all in.' Felix looked up. Our eyes met. 'But I believe you and I would love to join you guys.' Everybody smiled, even the brothers.

Sheppard followed my gaze to Felix. 'You asked her, didn't you?'

Felix couldn't stop smiling. 'You would eventually. I thought : why not ask her first?'

Sheppard didn't agree but gave in. ' We'll leave tomorrow morning, we think there is another healer in Doubry. In the mean time, Kayley , where can we clean ourselves up? '

I couldn't agree more , I needed a refreshment as well. 'There is a river nearby with a waterfall. We don't have a bathhouse nearby so the travelers wash themselves there. After that you can stay here in the rooms.'

The guys didn't even answer , they all took clean clothes and got ready.

Fort was the first. 'Lead the way, Kayley.'

I took some new clothes and led them to the river. The river was big enough to was a whole army. The guys all took different sides to have some privacy, I myself got to the waterfall. I got of my clothes and got in the water. The water wasn't too cold but still refreshing. I always swum hear alone, Dimitri never liked the waterfall. I thought it looked beautiful. It wasn't large but the waterfall was large enough to hide a little cave behind it. My favorite place to think. I made my hair wet and swum near the waterfall, enjoying the fresh water. When I reached it , I listened to the stream. I relaxed but I got scared by someone jumping from the top of the waterfall. I got out of the way when the person fell in the water but I got overthrown by a wave of water anyway.

' Whoo ooh, that was awesome' '

I immediately recognized his voice. Felix had reached the surface again and stroke back the hair out of his face.

I straightened my hair. Felix looked over his shoulder and noticed me.

'Kayley?!' he looked like he had been slapped in the face. 'I'm so sorry, I didn't think someone was here.'

I got frustrated. 'Well, you should think more often!'

Felix shrunk and regretted his jump immediately. I calmed down and thought of his jump. It could be fun to do it. A cold breeze went by. I shivered and we both got a little bit more under the water. I laughed at the idea that we thought of the same thing.

Felix broke the silence. 'So, uhm, are we cool?'

Instead of answering, I just looked at him. Without a shirt , I noticed he was in a pretty good shape. Because of the water , you could really see his athletic body. Felix got me back into the reality. 'Kayley?'

I splashed some water in my face and shook it off. What was I thinking?!

'Yes, were cool. But don't scare like that anymore.'

Felix glanced at me. His eyes sparkled because of the water making them even more bright. 'I'm sorry.' He finally said.

'Don't be, let's just get back to the Inn.' I took the lead and swum to the side but before I got out, I turned my head back to him. 'Do you mind?'

Felix stuttered again .'Oh yeah , sorry, umh.' He turned around , facing the other side.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. This guy was weird, really weird. I got out of the water and put on fresh clothes. But still it felt like I was being watched. I glanced back at Felix , whose face was still directed to the other side. When I was ready I signaled Felix he could turn around. After that I returned to the Inn. I didn't need to see how Felix changed. When I walked in, I saw Dylan sitting at the bar, lost in thoughts.

I went behind the bar and rested my arms on it. 'Need something to drink?'

Dylan looked up and smiled. 'Something strong would be nice.' He said. He straightened up.

'Coming up.' I said. Okay, I didn't know these guys very well but right now I couldn't trust anyone else. I didn't want to bring my mom into this and right now they were the closest thing to a family I had.

'How much do I own you?' he asked.

I placed his drink on the bar. 'This one's on me.'

'Thank you.' Dylan started inspecting me , with a weird look. After a while , I couldn't handle the silence anymore. He got on my nerves.

'What?!'

'Did anyone ever tell you , you looked A LOT like your brother? '

'As always ,yes.' A lot of people told that to me. They also wanted me to be more like him. Back then I would ignore it but now I wanted to have his energy , his brains , his tricks and his courage. I didn't have his sense of humor , that was a fact. _You have to much sarcasm to have humor._ He always said. Not quite sure what that meant. I got back to Dylan's question. 'Too much if you ask me.'

I smiled. Not at Dylan but at the memory of my brother. If he was here, he would laugh. Hearing the same sentence coming from one of his best friends. If he was here , he would share a look with Dylan and then putt an arm around me , pushing me against him . IF he was here.

I decided to put the horrible through away and went back to the entrance of the Inn where the room keys were. Dylan looked at me with light frown. I came back and gave him one of the keys.

I gave him a key and started talking with a funny accent. 'Here you go, sir. You have room 2, that is upstairs, second door to your right.' I said.

Dylan swallowed a sarcastic comment and turned his head when Brody walked in.

'We got room2.' He said and showed his brother the keys. Brody stroke back his wet hair and waved in appreciation. Both of them went upstairs. After a few minutes Fort and Sheppard entered, I gave them room 1 and when Felix entered he got room 4. Felix stopped at the stairs and turned around.

'Uhm, Kayley, just so you know, about what happened earlier. I never saw anything.' He looked humiliated and more uncomfortable with the second. He didn't know which position to take and kept striking his wet hair back.

I raised an eyebrow, went up the stairs and passed him by. He constantly avoided me , so why shouldn't I. he looked confused. I stopped at the last step and glanced back at him.

'You should never lie to a bartender.' I winked at him and went to my room without looking back at him. But really , I believed that he didn't see anything but if he wasn't going to make it easy neither was I.


End file.
